The brave teenage girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls' education in Pakistan is to have a titanium plate fitted to skull, surgeons revealed today.

Malala Yousafzai, 15, will also have a cochlear implant fitted to help her recover hearing in her left ear.

The Pakistani schoolgirl was gunned down at point blank range by the Taliban nearly four months ago for standing up for women's rights.

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Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai and a 3D image of her skull, which will have a titanium plate fitted

Dr Dave Rosser, medical director at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, where Malala is receiving treatment as an out-patient, said both procedures were routinely carried out at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

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At the start of January a frail-looking Malala hugged and waved goodbye to staff at the hospital, where she has undergone months of life-saving surgery following the failed assassination attempt that left her with a bullet in her brain.

This is a 3D model taken from Malala's skull and shows the damage inflicted by the Taliban

She will continue her rehabilitation at the family's temporary West Midlands home before undergoing major reconstructive surgery in a few weeks.

Dr Rosser said Malala was a 'remarkable young woman' who had made great progress in her recovery.

He also said she was fully aware of
the threats the Taliban had made against her life, but has said she
would continue to champion her cause.

'She's not naive at all about what happened to her and the situation in terms of her high profile,' he said.

'She's incredibly determined to continue to speak for her cause.'

Both surgical procedures will be carried out within the next 10 days and will take about 90 minutes each.

Dr
Rosser said it could take 'between 15 and 18 months' for any hearing to
recover in her left ear but added that in time she would have almost
normal levels of hearing, thanks to the surgery.

Stefan
Edmondson, Principal Maxillofacial Prosthetist at the trust, explained
how the plate would be fitted over a hole in Malala’s skull, which has
been left by the path of the bullet.

These images demonstrate how the plate for Malala's skull is created by using wax and shaping it to fit the contours of her skull

The red line drawn diagonally down the skull shows the journey of the bullet through the schoolgirl's head, and the plate to cover her damaged skull

It was also revealed that the damaged
portion of missing skull had been implanted in Malala’s abdomen - where
it remains - in case it was needed to repair her skull at a later date.

However, surgeons have now decided instead to fit the metal plate.

Dr Rosser credited the surgeons who operated on Malala in Pakistan soon after she was shot for saving her life.

Malala's
bravery has moved the world in the months since she was targeted by the
Taliban in Pakistan for heroically speaking out for women's rights and
freedom of access to education in the country.

Dr Dave Rosser praised Malala's sense of humour and bravery

In October last year a Taliban hitman burst onto her school bus in Swat, northern Pakistan, and shot her at point-blank range.

The bullet entered just above her left eye and ran along her jaw, 'grazing' her brain.

It was later removed by surgeons in Pakistan before she was flown to the UK for specialist treatment.

The Trust had previously said Malala
would undergo cranial reconstruction surgery in late January or early
February as part of her long-term recovery.

Dr
Rosser said Malala had already undergone surgery since her discharge
from the Birmingham Hospital at the start of the year, to repair a
facial nerve severed in the gun attack.

'The facial nerve was damaged by the course of the bullet,' he said.

'The facial nerve comes under the ear, but the surgeon was able to re-route and reconnect it.

'The surgeon has managed to do that without having to take a graft from another nerve.

'Malala
does have a weakness in her face so the left side of her face droops,
but there's a good chance she will completely recover within 18 months.'

Dr Rosser said this could be 'her last
surgery' and once over, she could finally be able to concentrate fully
on her rehabilitation.

Malala Yousufzai was attacked and shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan for campaigning for education for girls

Malala was flown to Britain for specialist treatment at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after escaping death when a bullet 'grazed' her brain

He said the fitting of the titanium plate - a titanium cranioplasty - was a relatively straightforward procedure which would help protect her brain.

Meanwhile, he said the cochlear implant will correct 'complete deafness' Malala suffered after the bullet destroyed the eardrum and the tiny bones which allow sound to register.

According to Dr Rosser she should be out of hospital within 'two to three days' of surgery.

He praised Malala's 'great sense of humour' and the fortitude with which she has dealt with her life-changing injuries.

Malala is now likely to secure permanent
residence in the UK after her father was granted a job with the
Pakistani consulate in Birmingham.